January 12, 2019

Wearable technology’s evolution is not about the gadget on the wrist or the arm but what is done with the data these devices collect, say most computational biologist. I think before we go on, let’s define wearable technology as:

“Wearable technology (also called wearable gadgets) is a category of technology devices that can be worn by a consumer and often include tracking information related to health and fitness. Other wearable tech gadgets include devices that have small motion sensors to take photos and sync with your mobile devices.”

Several examples of wearable technology may be seen by the following digital photographs.

You can all recognize the “watches” shown above. I have one on right now. For Christmas this year, my wife gave me a Fitbit Charge 3. I can monitor: 1.) Number of steps per day, 2.) Pulse rate, 3.) Calories burned during the day, 4.) Time of day, 5.) Number of stairs climbed per day, 6.) Miles walked or run per day, and 7.) Several items I can program in from the app on my digital phone. It is truly a marvelous device.

Other wearables provide very different information and accomplish data of much greater import.

The device above is manufactured by a company called Lumus. This company focusses on products that provide new dimensions for the human visual experience. It offers cutting-edge eyewear displays that can be used in various applications including gaming, movie watching, text reading, web browsing, and interaction with the interface of wearable computers. Lumus does not aim to produce self-branded products. Instead, the company wants to work with various original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to enable the wider use of its technologies. This is truly ground-breaking technology being used today on a limited basis.

Wearable technology is aiding individuals of decreasing eyesight to see as most people see. The methodology is explained with the following digital.

Glucose levels may be monitored by the device shown above. No longer is it necessary to prick your finger to draw a small droplet of blood to determine glucose levels. The device below can do that on a continuous basis and without a cumbersome test device.

There are many over the world suffering from “A-fib”. Periodic monitoring becomes a necessity and one of the best methods of accomplishing that is shown by the devices below. A watch monitors pulse rate and sends that information via blue tooth to an app downloaded on your cell phone.

Four Benefits of Wearable Health Technology are as follows:

Real Time Data collection. Wearables can already collect an array of data like activity levels, sleep and heart rate, among others. …

Continuous Monitoring. …

Predict and alerting. …

Empowering patients.

Major advances in sensor and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies are allowing much more accurate measurements and facilitating believable data that can be used to track movements and health conditions on any one given day. In many cases, the data captured can be downloaded into a computer and transmitted to a medical practitioner for documentation.

One great advantage for these devices now is the ability to hold a charge for a much longer period of time. My Fitbit has a battery life of seven (7) days. That’s really unheard of relative to times past.

CONCLUSION: Wearable designs are building a whole new industry one gadget at a time. MEMS sensors represent an intrinsic part of this design movement. Wearable designs have come a long way from counting steps in fitness trackers, and they are already applying machine-learning algorithms to classify and analyze data.

May 29, 2018

At some time in our working future we all hope to retire, but one burning question lingers—can you retire on what you have or will save at that point? We are told that:

At some point in your life, you’ll be using this money to support your lifestyle. By the time you reach sixty (60), you should have six times your salary saved – that’s $360,000 if you make $60,000 per year. Unfortunately, the average sixty-something has an estimated median of $172,000 in the bank. That is an estimate as of December 8, 2016. Nearly half of American families have no retirement account savings at all. This really blows my mind but this fact is what we are told by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in a new report entitled, “The State of American Retirement”. Please take a look at the graphic below and you can see age groups vs retirement account savings.

Whereas the average savings of a family with members in the 32-to-37 age range is $31,644, the median savings is a bleak $480. At the other end, the average savings of families 56 to 61 — those nearest to retirement — is $163,557. The median is $17,000.

I think there are very specific reasons for the lack of savings, especially for younger citizens of our country. Student loans, cost of living, pay scales, credit card debt, living above ones means, etc. all contribute to the inability to save or at least save enough for retirement.

The web site called MoneyWise.com has a very interesting solution to this problem or possible solution. If you go to this web site and look up the following post: “Places You can Retire to for Less Than $200K” you will see a list of twenty (20) countries that can supply most if not all of your needs if your retirement is less than $200 K. Let’s take a look at the list in order of favorability.

Thailand

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Malaysia

Mexico

Malta

Ecuador

Spain

Portugal

Panama

Australia

Austria

Czech Republic

Slovenia

Chile

Uruguay

Vietnam

Guam

Indonesia

South Africa

MoneyWise.com completed a study comparing housing availability, cost of living, health care, crime, government and several other indicators to compile this list. It is a very interesting study and I encourage you to take a look even if you are not considering being an expatriate. You just might change your mind.

There are two other web sites I definitely recommend you check out as follows: 1.) The CIA Fact Book and 2.) Lonely Planet. From these two you will find very valuable information relative to any country you wish to research. Look before you leap might just be in order here. Another option might be spending time and not completely relocating. Two, three, six or even nine months during one year might get you beyond worry relative to being able to afford retirement on what you have saved. The most important thing is to DO THE RESEARCH. Make a list, then a short list of the countries that represent the leading candidates. THEN MAKE A VISIT. Wade—don’t jump. Several other considerations I would list are as follows:

Make sure you consider your family, friends and support group before you make the move. Will they be willing and able to visit on a regular basis if needed?

A huge factor for me would be availability of good if not excellent medical facilities.

Cost of transportation.

Language considerations. If English is an issue, how difficult would learning their language be?

Power supplied. (I know this is off the wall.) Does the country provide 120-volt AC, 60 cycles per second or do they provide another voltage and frequency? In other words, will your electronics work? Will you have to buy new equipment or can a converter do the job?

How difficult and costly is communication “back home”? This includes Internet services.

May 7, 2018

This past weekend my wife traveled to ‘Hot-Lanta (Atlanta) to attend a baby shower. Other family members went also but I decided, for several reasons, not to attend. After a long day of working around the house, (I really did.) I decided to get dinner at a local Italian restaurant called Provino’s. Absolutely great Italian food. While seated, I noticed a young couple entering and sitting in an adjoining booth at my two o’clock position. No doubt about this one, they were on a date and apparently their first date. He was really nervous and immediately knocked over a full glass of water. The young lady called a waiter and she quickly removed all of the silverware, glasses, plates, etc. and moped up. After the commotion, things settled down a bit but he then realized he had a chew of tobacco he had to “lose” before going much further. Well he did the right thing, he excused himself and I assume took the short trip to the men’s room to dislodge the plug. Not a great start but at least she did not walk out on him and call UBER. I started thinking about smokeless tobacco and the health effects related to usage and decided to take a look at what we know.

I was actually startled to learn the following facts from the CDC relative to usage:

Adults aged eighteen (18) years and older: more than three (3) in every 100 (3.4%)

Men: nearly seven (7) in every 100 (6.7%)

Women: fewer than one (1) in every 100 (0.3%)

Non-Hispanic African Americans: more than one (1) in every 100 (1.2%)

Non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives: more than seven (7) in every 100 (7.1%)

Non-Hispanic Asians: fewer than one (1) in every 100 (0.6%)

Hispanics: fewer than one (1) in every 100 (0.9%)

Non-Hispanic Whites: nearly five (5) in every 100 (4.6%)

The following chart will show the usage.

Smokeless tobacco is definitely a health hazard—a considerable health hazard: *Leukoplakia, oral lesions that appear as white patches on the cheeks, gums or tongue, are commonly found present in smokeless tobacco users. Leukoplakia can be a pre-cancerous lesion which may ultimately produce oral cancer. About seventy-five (75%) percent of daily users of smokeless tobacco will get leukoplakia. (American Cancer Society) Dec 14, 2016. Researchers estimated that in 2010 alone, smokeless tobacco caused more than 62,000 deaths due to cancers of the mouth, pharynx and esophagus, and more than 200,000 deaths from heart disease. Sep 2, 2015. You may think that dipping is less hazardous than chewing tobacco but it definitely is NOT. Overall, people who dip or chew get about the same amount of nicotine as regular smokers. They also get at least thirty (30) chemicals that are known to cause cancer. The most harmful cancer-causing substances in smokeless tobacco are tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). Nov 13, 2015. With this being the case, just how long does it take some users to develop health issues when using smokeless tobacco? Some athletes have developed mouth cancer after only six (6) or seven (7) years of using spit tobacco. It’s hard to cure because it spreads fast. If not caught right away, major surgery is often needed to take out parts of your mouth, jaw, and tongue.

WARNING:

I’m going to show you several pictures that indicate the results of using smokeless tobacco (dipping and chewing). These are not for the squeamish so if you need to leave this blog, now is the time to do it.

October 13, 2017

Depending on the location, you can ask just about anybody to give a definition of Virtual Reality (VR) and they will take a stab at it. This is because gaming and the entertainment segments of our population have used VR as a new tool to promote games such as SuperHot VR, Rock Band VR, House of the Dying Sun, Minecraft VR, Robo Recall, and others. If you ask them about Augmented Reality or AR they probably will give you the definition of VR or nothing at all.

Augmented reality, sometimes called Mixed Reality, is a technology that merges real-world objects or the environment with virtual elements generated by sensory input devices for sound, video, graphics, or GPS data. Unlike VR, which completely replaces the real world with a virtual world, AR operates in real time and is interactive with objects found in the environment, providing an overlaid virtual display over the real one.

While popularized by gaming, AR technology has shown a prowess for bringing an interactive digital world into a person’s perceived real world, where the digital aspect can reveal more information about a real-world object that is seen in reality. This is basically what AR strives to do. We are going to take a look at several very real applications of AR to indicate the possibilities of this technology.

Augmented Reality has found a home in healthcare aiding preventative measures for professionals to receive information relative to the status of patients. Healthcare giant Cigna recently launched a program called BioBall that uses Microsoft HoloLense technology in an interactive game to test for blood pressure and body mass index or BMI. Patients hold a light, medium-sized ball in their hands in a one-minute race to capture all the images that flash on the screen in front of them. The Bio Ball senses a player’s heartbeat. At the University of Maryland’s Augmentarium virtual and augmented reality laboratory, the school is using AR I healthcare to improve how ultrasound is administered to a patient. Physicians wearing an AR device can look at both a patient and the ultrasound device while images flash on the “hood” of the AR device itself.

AR is opening up new methods to teach young children a variety of subjects they might not be interested in learning or, in some cases, help those who have trouble in class catching up with their peers. The University of Helsinki’s AR program helps struggling kids learn science by enabling them to virtually interact with the molecule movement in gases, gravity, sound waves, and airplane wind physics. AR creates new types of learning possibilities by transporting “old knowledge” into a new format.

Projection-based AR is emerging as a new way to case virtual elements in the real world without the use of bulky headgear or glasses. That is why AR is becoming a very popular alternative for use in the office or during meetings. Startups such as Lampix and Lightform are working on projection-based augmented reality for use in the boardroom, retail displays, hospitality rooms, digital signage, and other applications.

In Germany, a company called FleetBoard is in the development phase for application software that tracks logistics for truck drivers to help with the long series of pre-departure checks before setting off cross-country or for local deliveries. The Fleet Board Vehicle Lense app uses a smartphone and software to provide live image recognition to identify the truck’s number plate. The relevant information is super-imposed in AR, thus speeding up the pre-departure process.

Last winter, Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands started working with first responders in using AR as a tool in crime scene investigation. The handheld AR system allows on-scene investigators and remote forensic teams to minimize the potential for site contamination. This could be extremely helpful in finding traces of DNA, preserving evidence, and getting medical help from an outside source.

Sandia National Laboratories is working with AR as a tool to improve security training for users who are protecting vulnerable areas such as nuclear weapons or nuclear materials. The physical security training helps guide users through real-world examples such as theft or sabotage in order to be better prepared when an event takes place. The training can be accomplished remotely and cheaply using standalone AR headsets.

In Finland, the VTT Technical Research Center recently developed an AR tool for the European Space Agency (ESA) for astronauts to perform real-time equipment monitoring in space. AR prepares astronauts with in-depth practice by coordinating the activities with experts in a mixed-reality situation.

The U.S. Daqri International uses computer vision for industrial AR to enable data visualization while working on machinery or in a warehouse. These glasses and headsets from Daqri display project data, tasks that need to be completed and potential problems with machinery or even where an object needs to be placed or repaired.

CONCLUSIONS:

Augmented Reality merges real-world objects with virtual elements generated by sensory input devices to provide great advantages to the user. No longer is gaming and entertainment the sole objective of its use. This brings to life a “new normal” for professionals seeking more and better technology to provide solutions to real-world problems.

May 13, 2017

As a parent, you absolutely dread that call from your child indicating he or she has a problem—maybe a huge problem. On April 25th of this year we received a call from our oldest son. He was taking a late lunch at a local restaurant in downtown Chattanooga when he suddenly collapsed, fell backwards and hit his head on the sidewalk. An onlooker rushed over to help him and quickly decided he needed a visit to Memorial Hospital emergency room. Something just did not feel right. He called us on the way to the ER. Once in the ER and after approximately five (5) hours and one CAT Scan later, the attending physician informed us that our son had a great deal of fluid collecting at the top of his brain and there was a great deal of swelling. The decision was made by them to move him to Erlanger Hospital. Erlanger has better facilities for neurological surgery if that became necessary. At 1:32 A.M. Wednesday morning we received word that our son had a tumor at the base of his brain stem. It was somewhat smaller than a tennis ball and in all probability, had been growing for the last ten years. Surgery was necessary and quickly to avoid a stroke or a heart attack. The tumor was pressing on the spinal cannel and nerve bundles. Much delay at this point would be catastrophic. It is amazing to me that there were no signs of difficulty prior to his fall. Nothing to tell us a problem existed at all.

Erlanger referred us to the Semmes-Murphy Clinic in Memphis where all documentation from Memorial and Erlanger had been sent. Founded one hundred (100) years ago by Eustace Semmes, MD, and Francis Murphey, MD, Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute has been a leader in the development of technology and procedures that improve the quality of care for patients with neurological and spine disorders. This continuing leadership has made the Semmes-Murphey name instantly recognizable to physicians across the country and the world, many of whom refer their patients here for treatment. Dr. Madison Michael performed the eight (8) hour surgery nine (9) days ago to remove the tumor. He is a miracle worker. The surgery was successful but with lingering issues needing to be addressed as time allows and physical therapy dictates. Our son has lost hearing in his left ear, double vision, some atrophy in his extremities, and loss of stability. There was also great difficulty in swallowing for three days after surgery and at one time we felt there might be the need for a feeding tube insertion. That proved not to be the case since he eventually passed the swallow test. That test is as follows:

Water

Applesauce

Jell-O-like substance

Oatmeal

Solid food

He did eventually pass.

We have a long road of recovery ahead of us but there is optimism he can regain most, if not all of his cognitive and physical abilities. We do suspect the hearing is gone and will never return, but he is alive.

CRANIAL NERVES:

Our brain is a remarkably delicate and wonderful piece of equipment. The ultimate computer with absolutely no equal. Let’s take a look.

The cranial nerves exist as a set of twelve (12) paired nerves arising directly from the brain. The first two nerves (olfactory and optic) arise from the cerebrum, whereas the remaining ten emerge from the brain stem. This is where our son’s tumor was located so the surgery would have to be performed by one of the very best neurosurgeons in the United States. That’s Dr. Michael.

The names of the cranial nerves relate to their function and they are also numerically identified in roman numerals (I-XII). The images below will indicate the specific location of the cranial nerves and the functions they perform.

You see from above the complexity of the brain and what each area contributes to cognitive, mobility and sensory abilities. Remarkably impressive central computer.

The image below shows the approximate location relative to positioning of the nerve bundles and the functions those nerves provide.

Doctor Michael indicated the nerves are like spider webs and to be successful those nerves would have to be pushed away to allow access to the tumor. The digital below will indicate the twelve (12) nerve bundles as follows:

Olfactory–This is a type of sensory nerve that contributes in the sense of smell in human beings. These basically provide the specific cells that are termed as olfactory epithelium. It carries the information from the nasal epithelium to the olfactory center in brain.

Optic–This is a type of sensory nerve that transforms information about vision to the brain. To be specific this supplies information to the retina in the form of ganglion cells.

Oculomoter–This is a form of motor nerve that supplies to different centers along the midbrain. Its functions include superiorly uplifting the eyelid, superiorly rotating the eyeball, construction of the pupil on the exposure to light and operating several eye muscles.

Trochlear–This motor nerve also supplies to the midbrain and performs the function of handling the eye muscles and turning the eye.

Trigeminal–This is a type of the largest cranial nerve in all and performs many sensory functions related to the nose, eyes, tongue and teeth. It basically is further divided in three branches that are ophthalmic, maxillary and mandibular nerve. This is a type of mixed nerve that performs sensory and motor functions in the brain.

Abducent–This is a type of motor nerve that supplies to the pons and performs the function of turning the eye laterally.

Facial–This motor nerve is responsible for different types of facial expressions. This also performs some functions of sensory nerve by supplying information about touch on the face and senses of tongue in mouth. It is basically present over the brain stem.

Vestibulocochlear–This motor nerve is basically functional in providing information related to balance of head and sense of sound or hearing. It carries vestibular as well as cochlear information to the brain and is placed near the inner ear.

Glossopharyngeal–This is a sensory nerve which carries sensory information from the pharynx (initial portion of throat) and some portion of tongue and palate. The information sent is about temperature, pressure and other related facts. It also covers some portion of taste buds and salivary glands. The nerve also carries some motor functions such as helping in swallowing food.

Vagus–This is also a type of mixed nerve that carries both motor and sensory functions. This basically deals with the area of the pharynx, larynx, esophagus, trachea, bronchi, some portion of heart and palate. It works by constricting muscles of the above areas. In sensory part, it contributes in the tasting ability of the human being.

Spinal accessory–As the name intimates this motor nerve supplies information about the spinal cord, trapeziusand other surrounding muscles. It also provides muscle movement of the shoulders and surrounding neck.

Hypoglossal–This is a typical motor nerve that deals with the muscles of tongue.

CONCLUSION: I do not wish anyone gain this information as a result of having gone through this exercise. It’s fascinating but I could have gone a lifetime not needing to know. Just my thoughts.

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April 8, 2017

Biomedical Engineering may be a fairly new term so some of you. What is a biomedical engineer? What do they do? What companies to they work for? What educational background is necessary for becoming a biomedical engineer? These are good questions. From LifeScience we have the follow definition:

“Biomedical engineering, or bioengineering, is the application of engineering principles to the fields of biology and health care. Bioengineers work with doctors, therapists and researchers to develop systems, equipment and devices in order to solve clinical problems.”

Biomedical engineering has evolved over the years in response to advancements in science and technology. This is NOT a new classification for engineering involvement. Engineers have been at this for a while. Throughout history, humans have made increasingly more effective devices to diagnose and treat diseases and to alleviate, rehabilitate or compensate for disabilities or injuries. One example is the evolution of hearing aids to mitigate hearing loss through sound amplification. The ear trumpet, a large horn-shaped device that was held up to the ear, was the only “viable form” of hearing assistance until the mid-20th century, according to the Hearing Aid Museum. Electrical devices had been developed before then, but were slow to catch on, the museum said on its website.

Physical therapy devices, such as exercise equipment and wearable tech.

The equipment envisioned, designed, prototyped, tested and eventually commercialized has made a resounding contribution and value-added to our healthcare system. OK, that’s all well and good but exactly what do bioengineers do on a daily basis? What do they hope to accomplish? Please direct your attention to the digital figure below. As you can see, the world of the bioengineer can be somewhat complex with many options available.

The breadth of activity of biomedical engineers is significant. The field has moved from being concerned primarily with the development of medical devices in the 1950s and 1960s to include a wider ranging set of activities. As illustrated in the figure above, the field of biomedical engineering now includes many new career areas. These areas include:

Application of engineering system analysis (physiologic modeling, simulation, and control to biological problems

Medical imaging; that is, the graphical display of anatomic detail or physiologic Function.

The creation of new biologic products (i.e., biotechnology and tissue engineering)

Typical pursuits of biomedical engineers include

Research in new materials for implanted artificial organs

Development of new diagnostic instruments for blood analysis

Writing software for analysis of medical research data

Analysis of medical device hazards for safety and efficacy

Development of new diagnostic imaging systems

Design of telemetry systems for patient monitoring

Design of biomedical sensors

Development of expert systems for diagnosis and treatment of diseases

Design of closed-loop control systems for drug administration

Modeling of the physiologic systems of the human body

Design of instrumentation for sports medicine

Development of new dental materials

Design of communication aids for individuals with disabilities

Study of pulmonary fluid dynamics

Study of biomechanics of the human body

Development of material to be used as replacement for human skin

I think you will agree, these areas of interest encompass any one of several engineering disciplines; i.e. mechanical, chemical, electrical, computer science, and even civil engineering as applied to facilities and hospital structures.

February 15, 2017

As you well know, there are many projections relative to economies, stock market, sports teams, entertainment, politics, technology, etc. People the world over have given their projections for what might happen in 2017. The world of computing technology is absolutely no different. Certain information for this post is taken from the publication “COMPUTER.org/computer” web site. These guys are pretty good at projections and have been correct multiple times over the past two decades. They take their information from the IEEE.

The IEEE Computer Society is the world’s leading membership organization dedicated to computer science and technology. Serving more than 60,000 members, the IEEE Computer Society is the trusted information, networking, and career-development source for a global community of technology leaders that includes researchers, educators, software engineers, IT professionals, employers, and students. In addition to conferences and publishing, the IEEE Computer Society is a leader in professional education and training, and has forged development and provider partnerships with major institutions and corporationsinternationally. These rich, self-selected, and self-paced programs help companies improve the quality of their technical staff and attract top talent while reducing costs.

With these credentials, you might expect them to be on the cutting edge of computer technology and development and be ahead of the curve as far as computer technology projections. Let’s take a look. Some of this absolutely blows me away.

This effort first started within the medical profession and is continuing as research progresses. It’s taken time but after more than a decade of engineering work, researchers at Brown University and a Utah company, Blackrock Microsystems, have commercialized a wireless device that can be attached to a person’s skull and transmit via radio thought commands collected from a brain implant. Blackrock says it will seek clearance for the system from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so that the mental remote control can be tested in volunteers, possibly as soon as this year.

The device was developed by a consortium, called BrainGate, which is based at Brown and was among the first to place implants in the brains of paralyzed people and show that electrical signals emitted by neurons inside the cortex could be recorded, then used to steer a wheelchair or direct a robotic arm (see “Implanting Hope”).

A major limit to these provocative experiments has been that patients can only use the prosthetic with the help of a crew of laboratory assistants. The brain signals are collected through a cable screwed into a port on their skull, then fed along wires to a bulky rack of signal processors. “Using this in the home setting is inconceivable or impractical when you are tethered to a bunch of electronics,” says Arto Nurmikko, the Brown professor of engineering who led the design and fabrication of the wireless system.

Unless you have been living in a tree house for the last twenty years you know digital security is a huge problem. IT professionals and companies writing code will definitely continue working on how to make our digital world more secure. That is a given.

We can forget Moor’s Law which refers to an observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965. He noticed that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since their invention. Moore’s law predicts that this trend will continue into the foreseeable future. Although the pace has slowed, the number of transistors per square inch has since doubled approximately every 18 months. This is used as the current definition of Moore’s law. We are well beyond that with processing speed literally progressing at “warp six”.

If you are an old guy like me, you can remember when computer memory costs an arm and a leg. Take a look at the JPEG below and you get an idea as to how memory costs has decreased over the years.

As you can see, costs have dropped remarkably over the years.

CONCLUSION:

If you combine the above predictions with 1.) Big Data, 2.) Internet of Things (IoT), 3.) Wearable Technology, 4.) Manufacturing 4.0, 5.) Biometrics, and other fast-moving technologies you have a world in which “only the adventurous thrive”. If you do not like change, I recommend you enroll in a monastery. You will not survive gracefully without technology on the rampage. Just a thought.